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Barcelona warns vulnerable residents by SMS about extreme heat
Barcelona faces two days of extreme heat and the City Council has activated the maximum alert phase to reduce risks in the street and in the most vulnerable homes. The measure includes sending SMS messages to more than 11,800 people with recommendations for protecting themselves during the hardest hours.
The warning is aimed especially at older people, those with chronic illnesses or in situations of social vulnerability. During episodes of intense heat, it is not merely a matter of having an unpleasant afternoon: high temperatures can cause dehydration, heatstroke and worsen existing health problems.
Throughout this Wednesday and Thursday, municipal teams and the Red Cross will visit different points in the city to provide information about the available climate shelters. They will also distribute water, caps, towels, sun cream and other basic materials for people who spend many hours on the street.
The operation is coordinated by the Public Space Intervention Services, Barcelona's Social Emergency and Urgent Care Centre and the Red Cross. The priority will be to reach the areas where people at greatest risk from extreme temperatures live or gather.
The network of climate shelters is once again taking centre stage. Libraries, civic centres and other public facilities offer cool spaces where any resident can enter to rest, drink water or spend the middle hours of the day away from the heat built up in the street.
The City Council insists on simple but important measures: avoid exertion during the sunniest hours, drink water even when not thirsty, lower blinds, ventilate when it cools down and pay attention to older people who live alone or have limited mobility.
Extreme heat also changes the way the city is used. Journeys become shorter, squares empty at certain times and public facilities become a support network for people without well-insulated or air-conditioned housing.
The alert leaves an idea that is increasingly present in Barcelona: protecting oneself from the heat is now part of urban life. Knowing where to shelter, how to organise the day and whom to ask for help can make the difference when the temperature ceases to be a nuisance and becomes a real risk.
UPDATE: On 8 July, Barcelona broke a new historic heat record, with 40.9 ºC recorded at Observatori Fabra, amid a continuing sequence of episodes of extreme temperatures in Catalonia. The municipal alert remains fully important: the City Council had already activated SMS alerts for more than 11,800 vulnerable people and street teams to distribute water, caps, towels, sun cream and other protective items against intense heat.